News and Comment.
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Three weeks from to-day — our unique " Royal Show " report.
The Finance Bill has been introkluced. Vkre quote from it on page 254.
Every user of a petrol-driven vehicle, whether for goods or publicpassenger service, should write at onn to the Member of Parliament for his district, and protest against: (a) the severity of the duty; (b) the fact that it discriminates against the petrol vehicle; (c) the injustice of levying it on town-used machines.
Transport in Ireland.
Apropos the recent question by Mr. William Redmond, in the House of Commons, when some information was asked in regard to the proposals of Lords Iveagh and Pirrie, we cannot too often repeat that the bad state of the Irish roads was the true reason for the relinquishing of the project.
Guinness's Place Orders.
We are delighted to be able to report that A. Guinness and Co., Ltd., -the great Dublin company, has decided to take up commercial-motor transport again. The writer had the pleasure of meeting the company's chief engineer and its traffic manager, at Liverpool, on the occasion of the 1898 trials, following which two early-type steam lorries were purchased. These, however, •gave unsatisfactory results, and the apparent failure of Guinness's to make the business pay gave the whole movement a bad set-back in
Ireland. Now, after an interval of some ten years, the company is again moving, and two Straker-Squire petrol lorries are about to take up their duties. We look for very different results this time, and further proof is liereby provided of brighter prospects. Martin's of Bow.
Martin's Motors, Ltd., with an authorised capital of £10,000 in LI shares, has been registered for the purpose of acquiring the business of Mr. L. J. Martin, of Magnet Wharf, Bow Bridge, E. There will be no public issue.
A Barnsley Fleet.
We are indebted to Mr. J. Frost, the head of the traffic department of the Barnsley British Co-operative Society, Ltd., for the two photo-. graphs which are reproduced in this issue. Interesting comparisons may be drawn between the steam and the petrol sections of his fleet, particulars in regard to the working of which were contained in our issue of the 25th March. The further illustrations have been unavoidably held over by us from that date until to-day.
S.A&M,T.
The Commercial V chicle Committee has protested against the Society's proposal for an all-round penny per gallon on motor spirit in place of the Chancellor's proposals, and a meeting of Council, by special request, was held on Thursday last. Mr. II. G. Burford, M.1.Mech.E., stated the reasons which had led to the signing of the requisition, and it was unanimously agreed to defer the matter of an ultimate decision until another meeting had taken place. In the meantime, it is hoped that definite replies may be received to the communications which have been addressed to the Treasury. The date for the deputation is not yet fixed.
The Swedish Trials.
Fourteen light and heavy vehicles are entered for the trials of the Royal Swedish Automobile Club, which competition will begin on Monday next. The makers include the following : Turicum; Tidaholm; Lorraine-Dietrich (2); Gaggenau (4); Buessing ; V.A.B.I.S.; Saurer (2); Aspelin o_ Kjellberg ; and Motoren und Lastwagen A.G. Aachen. The roads in Sweden are, generally speaking, very bad, and the bridges will not take heavy weights.
It has been decided that the competing vehicles shall be run, as often as may be required to test their qualities, to Irpsala and back, which place is about 40 English miles to the north of Stockholm, by the direct road, and about 70 English miles by the longer course, via Rimbo and Lenna, which has been selected. The loads vary from 250 to 5,000 kilos., and the two single-deck omnibuses which are to compete (Gaggenau and Saurer) are constructed to carry 12 persons each.
With an authorised capital of £50,500, Singer and Co. (1909), Ltd., has been registered to carry out a scheme of arrangement with the older undertaking of Singer and Co., Ltd.
With its registered office at 209, Victoria Road, -Glasgow, the Southern Motor Co., with an authorised capital of k.'2,000, has recently been established for the purpose of dealing with all classes of road motors.
"Shell" Developments.
At Portishead, on Tuesday last, new storage accommodation for " Shell " motor spirit was formally brought into service, and established under bond, The same night, at the Royal Hotel, Bristol, Mr. F. P. S. Harris marked the occasion by giving a little dinner party to a number of gentlemen who are interested in the distribution, sale and consumption of fuel for internalcombustion engines.
A Dennis Repeat.
William Hancock and Co., Ltd., of The Brewery, Cardiff, has placed a third repeat order with Dennis Bros., Ltd., of Guildford, for a four-ton petrol lorry. After considerable experience with steel tires on the back wheels of its petrol lorries, this Cardiff company has decided that solid indiarobber tires are preferable, and Polack tires have in consequence been fitted to this latest vehicle.
More Canadian Trials.
From the 19th to 23rd of next month, an agricultural-motor competition will take place in connection with the Inter-Provincial Fair, at Brandon, Manitoba. Mr. Charles Fraser is the secretary. We observe, in a pamphlet which has been issued on the matter, the following interesting arguments :— " The question of getting the farmers to use mechanical power instead of horses is largely a matter of education, and there is nothing that will furnish so good a school for this purpose as the motor contest. The
average farmer is untrained in the use of mechanical power, and consequently he does not know how to go about it to get the best results out of a tractor. At a motor contest he sees a large number of engines manned by experts, put to severe and thorough tests, and in the end he has the benefit of seeing the results tabulated in such form as to make them applicable to his own conditions. He comes to the motor contest to see the theorem demonstrated, and goes home and works out his own corollaries. He sees the manufacturer doing at his own expense what he, the farmer, would have to do otherwise, and bear the 'burden of expense himself. He is able to make comparison between the various ma(lines entered and thus avoid the -buying of machines that are not suitable to do the work which he has to do.
"In a country like Western Canada, there is not the question of a doubt but that mechanical motive power on the farm is soon to occupy a high position in the farmer's equipment. It will not only help him make two blades of grass grow where one grew before by increasing the quality of the work done, but at the same time, if properly handled, it will decrease the 'cost per bushel per acre. It is one thing for the farmer to secure a higher price for his grain, and it is yet another thing for him to be able to produce that grain at a less cost than what he is producing it at the present time. One is just as much a source of profit as the other."
Manchester Shows.
The annual general meeting of the Manchester and District Motor Trades' Association, Ltd., was held at the Palatine Hotel, Manchester, on Thursday of last week, at three o'clock in the afternoon, when Mr. Charles Davies presided over a good attendance. The question of future motor shows in Manchester was fully discussed. and, having regard to the success of the commercial-motor section during the past several years, it was agreed that no show of the kind could receive, the association's support. which did not sufficiently provide for the accommodation of heavy vehicles.